Sixteen Days of the Omer 5777

Today is sixteen days, which is two weeks and two days, ofthe Omer. Gevurah of Tiferet / Emet. Discipline in Compassion / Truth.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sack's podcast today spoke about Lashon HaTov, speaking positive things about a person. I am reminded of it because being truthful can hurt a person as easily as it can help, which is where discipline comes in.

This isextremely difficult for me. My passion often gets ahead of me -- I can wieldrhetoric with a sharp tongue and a desire for complete domination of anydisagreement. Not surprisingly, this trait has not extended my friendshipcircles or hastened my career advancement.

Having Discipline in Truth means being able to rise aboveone's feelings, acknowledging the souls that surround you. Once you aregrounded in spiritual reality, deeper truths become evident -- you'll be ableto articulate the core goodness emanating from those around you and expressclear-eyed love for them.

Andsometimes, it is simply impossible to extricate yourself from your ego. For me,that usually means it is time to go to sleep. I may have counted the Omer lastnight, but I expressed very little Compassion today and I deeply regret mychoices.

Today, as I tried to navigate my day without adult companions via Facebook, I gave into my exhaustion. And when I'm exhausted, I have no filter. While my 1.5 year old can't quite articulate all that he wants, I had no patience for his cries. When my 3.5 year old didn't respond to my instructions at bedtime, I was only interested in punishing him. Oddly, it seemed that I was determined to go against every piece of advice I read in "No-Drama Discipline." I think the biggest lesson I learned today is that it's okay for adults to take a nap.